Affiliate Marketing Programs – The Importance of Developing a Relationship With Each Of Your Prospects!

Sometimes extremely valuable information can seem a little dry, even boring. Yet this is so essential to any affiliate marketer if you are to have a successful experience. So read on.

When it comes to a successful marketing plan, there is no greater tool for converting potential prospects into long term clients than developing a relationship with each of them. You may be able to offer potential business prospects the best quality products and service. So unless they see you as something other than an impersonal web page or catalog, there is little else to keep them loyal. When another clever advertising campaign

comes along, guess what will happen?

Does this mean you have to become best friends with every new prospect you meet? Of course not. If you tried, you’d not only come off as insincere, you’d never have time to get any real business done.

Then point here is to try to convey to your prospects that you see them as real people, and not just merely another ka-ching in your cash register. Everyone likes to feel that they matter, and this is what you will try to establish by developing a relationship with each of your prospects.

In Order to better understand what “relationship” means, here are some helpful tips. For developing a relationship with each of your prospects based on positive approaches, both online and off.

Present Yourself At Your Personal Best Both In Person And On The Web

No matter how rough of a work week you’ve had, when it’s time to meet with a prospective client, don’t skimp on your appearance. Most likely you’ll be meeting over Skype, streaming video or any number of digital or VOIP means of communication, so look successful!

Does your website look professional? You don’t need green and hot pink flashing lettering to get a prospect’s attention. Your website should instill a friendly one-on-one tone. Make sure your website is clean. Easy to navigate for even they newest web browsers and really spells out what you’re selling. Invite a dialogue with prospects and answer them in a friendly, positive tone as promptly as possible. Inspiring confidence is the first step to developing a relationship with each of your prospects.

Establish Common Ground

Resist the urge to jump right into they hard sale. It’s a turn off and will hamper developing a relationship with each of your prospects. When you first meet a potential new client, don’t be afraid to make some small talk to draw them out a little.

This doesn’t mean that you should go into the week’s weather report detail by detail. Again, you would come off as insincere. But if you happen to notice a family photo on your prospect’s desk or mantel, don’t be afraid to ask some polite questions about how they children are. Share a little relative info on your own children if you have them.

Don’t fabricate facts. Honesty is always they best policy. Ask a few lightweight questions about anything your prospect brings up that actually interest you. This way you won’t have to strain to have an actual conversation that is about more than just what you’d like to sell them.

Selling on the web is little harder, since you don’t have a physical presence. Most of your correspondence will be through e-mails and the occasional phone call. Words mean things so make yours count. Once again, be friendly in your responses. Make them remember you.

Answer any questions or concerns they might have about joining your affiliate program. Then throw in something a little more personal. It can be that you were watching one foot of snow fall while you answered this e-mail.

You just got back from a vacation or you’re about to take one to XYZ place (if they prospect has been there, they’ll let you know- people love to share travel stories). Or just drop in a tidbit of your day and tell them you’ve had one of those “Southwest take me away kind of days!”. Everyone can relate to a stressful day.

The key to developing an actual relationship with each of your prospects is to find some common ground that will help establish an immediate rapport between the two of you.

Soft Selling and Listening

As mentioned before, a hard sell will turn off many potential prospects. Far better to begin your sales pitch by inquiring about your prospect’s needs. Give them a chance to tell you their own thoughts about what questions they have about your affiliate marketing program. People like to feel that someone is willing to listen to them. Businesses don’t listen, people do.

This technique will actually help you to pinpoint their items you should be presenting first, and is indispensable to developing a relationship with each of your prospects. Your potential customer will become more relaxed with you when they realize you are not ready to pounce from the word go To sell them something.

Follow Up After The Sale

If you’re fortunate enough to have made a good first impression and made the initial sale, your follow up is crucial. You don’t want to leave your new client feeling like a bride left at the alter. So within one week, send a personal note of thanks for the opportunity to do business with them.

Reiterate that you are always available to answer their questions or concerns. Then be available if they do happen to call or e-mail. If you’re not in they office, then return their message immediately. This lets your new client know you still care about them after they have joined your affiliate marketing network.

Developing a relationship with each of your prospects is impossible without this kind of personal care after the sale. You are trying to establish yourself in your client’s eyes as not merely a sales person with a great affiliate marketing program, but a real person, and a darn nice one to boot.

Side Benefits For You

There are other benefits to developing a relationship with each of your prospects. Sometimes something goes wrong and it’s out of your hands to bring a quick resolution to your client’s problem. Perhaps there is an unavoidable delay in shipping, or a computer glitch is making everything run late. If you’ve established a friendly trust between the two of you, your client is far more likely to stand by you during the difficulty if you’ve been there for them all along.

You’ll also find that it’s actually far more pleasant doing business with someone you’ve come to know a little. Developing a relationship with each of your prospects will do that for you, and you’ll come to love your job that much more.

In a world full of impersonal online business transactions, there really is no substitute for developing a relationship with each of your prospects if you want to win and maintain their customer loyalty with your affiliate marketing program.

There you have it. This is part of what you’ve signed up for. You may be working from home, be your own boss, and enjoying income you have honestly earned. You customer has only one interest and your business is not it! It’s still and always will be, WIIFM, and you know what that stands for.

Alan is retired and resides in Quito, Ecuador. Writing is a passion which has resulted in two eBooks thus far, with more in the works. Married 47 years with four sons and 13 grandchildren, provides potential grist for the mill! Alan is a charter "Boomer", a Viet Nam veteran, committed to roasting his own coffee and writes about whatever pops into his mind. He loves to build and ride recumbent bikes, play racquetball, writes almost daily, travels Ecuador, and talks to anything that does not move fast enough! The twinkle in his eye is a combination of the sun, and an active sense of humor.
His desire to encourage others to write is being answered through his articles on the Internet.